Switching device.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. BALDWIN, DECEASED BY FLQRENCE D. BALDWIN, ADMINISTRATRIX, OF

MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T VJESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCOR- PORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SWITCHING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FLoniiNon DAVIS BALD- WIN, administratrix, residing at Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, citizen of the United States, am in possession of an invention in certain new and useful Improvements in Switching Devices invented by CHARLES F. BALDWIN, deceased, who was a citizen of the United States, of which the following is a full, clear,

concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to selectively-operable switching devices, and more particularly to finder switches for semi or full automatic telephone exchange systems.

It is the object of this invention to provide a simple and eflicient tripping arran ement for the movable contacts of finder switches employed in the extension of telephone lines.

According to the main feature of this invention, the tripping of the movable con tacts of a finder switch into association with the stationary contacts of such switch is controlled by a lever operated by a magnet, the restoration of said lever being controlled preferably by means associated with the movable contacts and irrespective of the actuated condition of said magnet.

The drawing represents a line finder switch arrangement embodying the present invention.

A full understanding of the invention may be had from the following detailed de- A scription and the appended claims.

A calling subscriber at station 1, desiring to obtain connection to a trunk line 2, 3 leading to an operators telephone head set 4, removes his receiver from the switch-hook, establishing thus a circuit for a relay 5. Through the armature andback contact of this relay 5, ground is connected to a conductor 6 terminating in multiple test contacts 7 of a line finder switch 8. As soon asrelay 5 becomes energized, this ground connection is removed from test contact 7, indicating thus the calling condition of line 70. Relay 5 closes also a circuit from ground through its armature and front contact, a 'starter wire 9 and a contact 10, and the power magnet of a sequence switch 11 to grounded battery. Under the control of a normal spring 12, this sequence switch is moved out of position 1 into position 4. A

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

Serial No. 96,134.

plurality of sequence switches 11 are controllable through the armature and front contact of relay 5, these sequence switches being arranged in such a manner that at a time only one is in position 1, and therefore only one will be operated upon the energization of relay 5. The assignment of one of a plurality of switches, such as sequence switches 11, for operation in response to the closure of a starter wire being well known in the art, a disclosure of their detailed operation does not seem necessary.

WVhen sequence switch 11 reaches position 2. a circuit is closed from grounded battery through the winding of a trip magnet 18, a sequence switch contact 1 1, conductor 9, and the front contact and armature of relay to ground. Magnet 13, by attracting its armature 15, imparts a slight rotation to a trip bar 16. The bar 16 extends across the face of a plurality of line finders, such as 8 (only one finder switch being shown in the drawing). Below the wipers 22 of each line finder is fixed to bar 16 a tripping finger 17 adapted to engage a tripping lever 18 rotatably mounted on the bar 16. The lever 18 is maintained in the position shown in the dra *ing under the control of a coiled spring 19. Upon the actuation of magnet 13, all the tripping fingers engage their respective levers 18, whereby the levers 18 are rotated against the tension of coiled springs 19 toward catches 20 which are pivotally mounted in a yoke 21 of all the sets of wipers 22.

Vhen sequence switch 11 of line finder 8 reached position 2, a circuit was closed from ground through sequence switch contact 23 and the right-hand winding of a relay 24 to rounded battery. This relay became energized and closed a locking circuit for itself from grounded battery through its lefthand winding, front contact and armature,

conductor 25, a conducting segment 26 of a commutator plate 27 mounted on the top of line finder 8, and a commutator brush 28 to ground. When sequence switch 11 reached position 3, a circuit was closed from ground through sequence switch contact 29, q

the right-hand front cont-act and armature of relay 24, and the winding of a magnet 30 to grounded battery. Magnet 30, by attracting its armature 31, pressed a rod 32,

carrying the set of wipers 22 and commutator brushes 28 and 33, against a roller 34- constantly rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow. Under the control of roller 341-, the brush rod 32 was caused to move in an upward direction.

The tripping rod 16 is mountedin such a manner that catch 20 of the brush set 22 will engage the tilted lever 18 when the brush rod starts its upward travel and before the wipers of set 22' engage the first terminal of a terminal bank 35. hen sequence switch 11 reached position 3, catch 20 engaged the lever 1.8 and held it in the tilted position, when, upon the movement of serpience switch 11 out of position 3, the magnet became deenergized and permitted the bar 16 with the other levers 18 to return to normal; Due to the fact that the catch 20is held by the tilted lever 18 during the further movement of brush rod 32 in an upward direction, the catch 20 is rotated in a clockwise direction, and lug 36 of insulating material, which is -arried by catch 20, is removed from between wipers 37, 38 and 39, il). lVipers 37, 38 are connected by means of an insulating rod a1, and wipers 39, d0 by means of an insulating rod &2. The wipers are mounted in a spacing block e13 and due to their resiliency, these wipers 37, 38 and 39, t0 tendto approach each other. lVhen the lug 36 is removed from between the wipers, the wipers are tripped, 2'. (2., permitted to approach each other. The wipers 3T, 38, 39 and 10 are now in position to wipe over the rows of terminals in which 7, 1st, s5 and l6'are respectively situated.

While wiper 37 is traveling over test terminals of idle, i. 6., non-calling'lines, relay 2 1 is maintained energized by a circuit extending from ground through the armature and back contact of relay 5 of each line, conductor 6, the test terminal corresponding to terminal 7, wiper 37 the lefthand armature, front contact and winding of relay 2 1 to grounded battery,

When the wipers reached the first level of terminals the catch 20 was displaced at a sutlicient angle to disengage the lever 18, and under the control of the coiled spring 19 this lever was returned to its normal position. I I

lVhen wiper 37 reaches terminal 7, the circuit of relay 2% is opened at the armature and back contact of relay 5. For the purpose of insuring the proper centering ot the wipers on terminals 35, the wipers 22 are mounted on brush rod 32 in such a manner that they will be squarely centered on their respective terminals at the same time that commutator brush 28 engages an insulated segment 50 of commutator plate 27.

hen the communtator brush 28 engages the conducting segment 26 just below the insulated segment 50 corresponding to test terminal 7, the wiper 37 makes contact with the bottom of terminal 7. The circuit of relay would .now be open but for a substitute path provided from grounded bat ter through the left-hand winding, front contact and armature of the relay 21, conductor 25, conducting segment 26, and commutator brush 28 to ground. This relay thus remains energized and maintains the circuit of magnet 30 closed at its right-hand armature and front contact until brush 28 contacts with insulating segment 50. The wipers are then squarely centered on terminals 7, id, 45 and -16. Relay 2 1; then releases its armatures, magnet 30 becomes deenergized, and the brush rod is held in position? by a spring-pressed pawl 51.

Upon the deenergization of relay 2t, a circuit is closed from ground througl'i sequence switch contact 29, the right-hand armatureand back contact of relay 2t, and the power magnet of sequence switch 11 to grounded battery, and this sequence switch is moved into position 16. Iii-position 5 of the sequence switch, a circuit closed from ground through a resistance 52, sequence switch contact 53, conductor 5%, wiper 38, contact it and the winding of a cutotl' relay 55 to grounded battery. The cutol'li' relay opens the circuit ofline relay 5, which becomes deiinergized and renders line busy at the multiples of terminal7. A 'lur- 'thercircuit is closed from the minus pole of battery througlra primary winding of a repeating coil 56, the winding of a supervisory relay SR, conductor 3, sequence switch-con act 57, wiper 39, terminal t5, the circuit of sub-station 1, terminal -16, wiper 4:0, scquen'ce'switch contact 58, trunk conductor2, and tlie' rimary winding of repeating coil 56 to the plus pole oi. battery. The supervisory relay is actuated, and the calling subscribers line is in telephonic association with the operators head set l. The subscriber gives new the instructions to theop'erator tor the further extending of the connection.

lVhen the subscriber at station 1 desires disconnection and restores his receiver to the switchhook, the supeiwisory relay S11 becomes deenergized and causes in the wellknown manner the displaying of a discern nect signal (not shown). The operator depresses her disconnect key 60, closing thusa circuit from ground through contact of this key, contacts 61, 62 and the power magnet of sequence switch 11 to grounded battery.

The sequence switch is movedcut of position 16 into position 18, in which position a circuit is closed from ground through sequence'switch contact 63 and the winding-cf a magnetGel to grounded 'ba ttery. Magnet 64,

by attracting its armature 65, presses-brush rod 32 against a roller 66 constantly rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow, and causes pawl 51'to disengage rod Under the control of roller 66, the brush rod is moved in a downward direction. lVhen the brush rod reaches its normal position, a circuit is closed from ground thorugh commutator brush 33, a conducting segment 67 of commutator plate 27, conductor 68, contacts 69, 62 and the power magnet of sequence switch 11 to grounded battery, for driving this sequence switch out of position 18 into its normal position. Magnet 64 is then deenergized and all the apparatus is ready for use for another call, the catch 20 having been restored to its normal position for again separating wipers 37, 38 and 39, 40. The catch 20 may be restored to normal by a separate lever engaging the trip rod 16 in the manner disclosed in Patent No. 1,17 7 ,OH to J. L. McQuarrie.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is applicable to switching devices of widely varying character. The invention may be utilized for instance to control the operation of trunk hunting switches.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. In a switching device, two groups of contacts, means for causing one group of contacts to travel with respect to the other group of contacts, means for normally maintaining said groups of contacts out of the path of each other, means for moving said groups of contacts into cooperative relation, a lever adapted when displaced to control said last mentioned means, a magnet for displacing said lever, and means associated with one group of contacts for controlling the restoration of said lever.

2. In a switching device, movable and stationary contacts, means for causing the former to travel over the latter, means for normally maintaining said movable contacts out of the path of said stationary contacts, means for moving said movable contacts into the path of said stationary contacts, a lever adapted when actuated to con trol said last mentioned means, a magnet for displacing said lever, and a catch provided on said movable contacts for controlllng the restoration of said lever.

3. In a switching device, movable and5o stationary contacts, means for causing said movable contacts to travel over said stationary contacts, means for normally maintaining said movable contacts out of the path of said stationary contacts, a magnet, means for moving said movable contacts into the path of said stationary contacts, a lever operated upon the actuation of said magnet for controlling said last mentioned means, means for maintaining said lever operated after the reaction of said magnet, and means operative in response to the travel of said movable contacts for restoring the lever to normal.

4. In combination, a plurality of switching devices, sets of movable and stationary contacts for said devices, means for causing said movable contacts to travel over said stationary contacts, means for normally maintaining said movable contacts out of the path of said stationary contacts, a lever for each set of movable contacts, a magnet controlling upon actuation the displacement of said lever means controlled by a displaced lever and responsive to the travel of a set of movable contacts for moving them into the path of the stationary contacts, means operative thereupon for causing said magnet to react, a catch provided on said movable contacts for maintaining said lever in displaced position after the reaction of said magnet, and means responsive to the further travel of said movable contacts for causing said catch to disengage said lever.

In witness whereof I, the said FLORENCE DAVIS BALDWIN, administratrix, hereunto subscribe my name on this 3rd day of May, A. D. 1916.

FLORENCE D. BALDWVIN, Administmwiw 0f the estate of Charles F.

Baldwin, deceased.

Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, I). G. 

